4 1 1 On Gluten free diet

First wheat free is not gluten-free, gluten intolerance is not an allergy and celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten.

What does that mean?

When a person has an allergy to wheat, their symptoms are similar as they would be to any other allergic reaction such as hives, sneezing, itchy skin and even anaphylaxis. Following a wheat free diet is important to avoid allergic reactions.

If you have gluten intolerance, you may experience many symptoms such as abdominal pain, inflammation, migraines, fatigue and skin disorders. Avoiding gluten in your diet will alleviate these symptoms, and there will be no long-term damage to your body.

In celiac disease consuming gluten damages the villi of the small intestine. The villi are what absorbs nutrients from food and when this is damaged serious health problems may arise such as anemia, neurological issues, osteoporosis, thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lymphoma and even infertility, the list keeps growing.

Treatment for celiac disease

It is important to know that those with celiac disease must follow a lifelong gluten-free diet, even a trivial amount of gluten in the diet can cause damage to the small intestine. If celiac disease is left untreated long-term health problems may result as mentioned above.

Testing for celiac disease

Most common testing is a biopsy of a small intestine or testing for genetic markers may also be a way to determine if a person is likely to have Celiac disease.